INDIANAPOLIS – After qualifying for the NCAA Championship North Regional, associate league member Mercyhurst was picked to win the regular season as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Men’s Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll was released Tuesday morning.
The Lakers are one of six teams in this year’s men’s lacrosse standings along with associate members Seton Hill and Davis & Elkins.
Alderson Broaddus, Lake Erie and Walsh, are also full league members back in the mix as the coaches cast their votes.
Wheeling, a two-year associate member with the conference, announced the men’s lacrosse program will resume competition for the 2020-21 season with new head coach Nick Anagnostis at the helm.
Mercyhurst received all possible five first-place votes (since schools cannot vote for themselves) and a total of 25 points in the balloting. The Lakers captured last year’s conference tournament title and finished the spring ranked No. 9 in the USILA Coaches Poll.
Mercyhurst won the conference title over rival Seton Hill, 14-10, after the Griffins had won the regular-season matchup. Seton Hill also was a top 10 team to finish the season in the USILA Coaches Poll and were picked as the preseason coaches poll runner-up.
Unfortunately for both Mercyhurst and Seton Hill, it was a first-round exit against tough Merrimack and Mercy programs, respectively.
Lake Erie was polled in third with 16 points. Walsh was close in fourth followed by Davis & Elkins and Alderson Broaddus. The top four teams in the regular season will advance to the Great Midwest Championship tournament.
The regular season for most teams will begin Saturday, February 8, and the first wave of conference games will be played on Saturday, March 14.
The second year of the East Coast – Great Midwest Challenge Cup will also be played out this season as the two North Region leagues partner and jointly support Team IMPACT. A total of six games will be played for this year’s cup starting on Wednesday, Feb. 26, between Davis & Elkins and Frostburg State.
The ECC won the Challenge Cup in its inaugural offering during the 2019 season as five matches were completed between both leagues for regional competition. Additional Challenge Cup games include Alderson Broaddus at Roberts Wesleyan (Feb. 29), Frostburg State at Walsh (Feb. 29), NYIT at Mercyhurst (March 21), Seton Hill at Molloy (March 28) and Lake Erie at Mercy (April 4).
Great Midwest Men's Lacrosse Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour
| School |
Points |
| 1. Mercyhurst (5 first-place votes) |
25 |
| 2. Seton Hill (1 first-place vote) |
21 |
| 3. Lake Erie |
16 |
| 4. Walsh |
14 |
| 5. Davis & Elkins |
9 |
| 6. Alderson Broaddus |
5 |